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Tuesday, January 15, 2013

In a few weeks baby girl turns all of four years old. She has been waiting, counting and inquiring daily about this big day. At all of 4 she has been to quite a few birthday parties. She is also old enough to describe in some detail what and whom should be fixtures at her birthday party and on some level it warms my heart to know I am raising an independent toddler who has So much attention to details, yet is open to suggestions/alternative ideas (I kid you not)

While planning for her birthday party though it got me thinking of a birthday party issue that gets at me every time...

Who is the birthday party really for?

To give some context, as a mommy to a toddler, I have been exposed to quite a few birthday parties- some that start way too late (for kids) in my humble opinion; some that the music is clearly more fitting for a dance hall gathering (again in my humble opinion) and some that the frills and thrills seem just a little over the top for a child-related affair (but hey if you have it, why not splurge right?) and then there are some that you shake your head, sigh, gasp and even literally 'kin over' (turn over)when you wonder how anyone could think THAT could be suitable for a child ...example.......... (please click to read the enlarged font)

Let us for a moment, examine the flier above, all indications point to this being an all out dancehall fest, clearly one would assume, fitting for adults and then Birthday Boy Romaro- a child- gets thrown in the mix. It may be funny when one points out how the birthday boy is smacked between two 'sexy' women, but on a deeper level, this is a reality here and now in Jamaica.

In a nation where there are concerns about teenage pregnancy, adolescent deviant behaviour, children having sex, Children mimicking adult sexual behaviour via dance and examination grades that need much improvement, we tend to overlook somewhat simple ..COMPLEX issues such as what we expose our children to or what we promote to them as being the norm.

I could easily forsee something like THIS (below) therefore taking place at Romario's birthday party and I do not say this blindly as a random youtube search could show you some parties intended for adults, where some little boy is being encouraged to dagger (a dance move that simulates sexual intercourse-often with the woman being thrust back and forth from behind by a male companion) an older woman.

Let it be clear, this is not an attack on Jamaican Dance hall music, but kids by their very virtue of existence should be protected from things that may be damaging to their character and outlook on life. Moreso, any attempt to promote adult behaviours as acceptable for kids should be shunned.

So for the life of love, common sense and parental responsibility, the next time your event relates to your child, your niece, nephew, cousin-any child, please make make the planning and execution reflect such.

We know you want it to be a true Bashment event and you want everyone to talk about how bad (Jamaican for good, over the top, great) Romario's party was, but at the end of the day, what happens when at 12, Romario wishes to go to the dance down the road? what then? does he suddenly become too young to go?

Just think on these things...Not because its fitting for you as an adult (it may not even be fitting for you as a parent) does it mean it is fitting for your child.

And lest anyone think I chose to use an extreme example, the same applies to birthday parties that have musical selections that can be heard at the hottest parties around or playlists that could have easily been compiled by some of Jamaica's leading DJs...for adult events.

So the next time you decide to have your kids birthday party, even with all the 'uptown' frills and thrills, cocktail bar, 4 course meal, bartender for the adults, servers, polite chatter and the like, but then the DJ starts playing dancehall's "Bubble Gal Bubble" or Soca's "Wine girl wine", I can forgive you for the extravagance, but not for the non-child friendly musical selections. There are wayy too many kiddies music selections to go around or even musical beats if you want to strike a balance.

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

My dear readers who have remained faithful even through down periods. The year has indeed started off right. First our super interview with Jamaican Entertainer Raine Seville and now Jamaican Mommies has been nominated under the Best Jamaican Focused blog category in this year's Jamaica Blog Awards. *Big Grin*

But

The competition is HOT!

So with your help #TeamJMommies can rack up 30% of the final score going into the awards on January 19, 2013.

JUST CLICK ON “CLICK TO VOTE.” It wont take you more than a minute and you're free to leave a comment if you so choose. You can actually vote once each day until January 16, 2013.

See those fab trophies. One can be ours. Let's do this!

Thanks so much for your support, and please share the voting link and my the blog's link with friends, mommies all over and people who may appreciate my content and would like to vote. I would really appreciate it…

Monday, January 7, 2013

Happy New Year Mommies, we're super excited that this new year has rolled in. Something about the New year always makes everything so hopeful and bright as we make plans to take us throughout and a clean slate is always great.

Having finally managed to secure an interview with the indomitable female Singer/DJ, Raine Seville as a part of our celeb mummies series ( see previous interviews with Maia Chung and Kiki) also makes the new year that much sweeter.

Loraine was super excited to oblige the Jamaican Mommies team and even more over the top to gush about her munchkin, family life, being a mommy on the go and striking the right balance between life on and off the stage.

So for those of you who may not be in the know- Loraine "Raine" Seville burst on the scene back in 2009 as the first lady for the DASECA music camp, which included heavyweights such as Bugle and Serani. Raine then went on to record continued successes with her chart topping hit "Belly Wine" becoming a favourite at events both locally and abroad. She has also enjoyed frequent rotation on the airwaves and as recently as May 2012 had been nominated as best new artist at the South Florida Reggae Awards.

She was also nominated for three other awards at the Music Achievers Awards for Best Dressed Female, Best Music Video, for the single Showdown and walked away with the award for Most Promising Female artiste.

In summary, Craig Jackson of local male music duo Voicemail in a recent interview with the Jamaica Star best describes the artiste as follows:
"Her music, sound, look, attitude, and energy are a different approach now. She is way stronger and mature. Raine is more confident in general. even her performances have gotten better. She's exploring and understanding her musical capabilities more now"

With a promising career and a supportive fan base, Raine already has quite a bit on her plate and mixed in with all of that-she is a mommy to an adorable two year old daughter, Layla-Rei (such a cute name too)

But how does she manage it all? Any challenges? How does she spend quality time with a toddler while churning out continued hits for her fans?

Let's find out, zooming out on Raine the artiste and zooming in on Raine the mommy....In her own words...Enter the world of Raine Seville---

1.JMommies:So we've pretty much been meeting Raine the artiste, the creative person the entertainer, tell us about Raine the Mommy? How different or similar is 'mommy Raine' to the Raine that the public knows?

Raine: Once I'm off stage, not doing interviews or in studio, not an ambassador for something...I'm Loraine Seville, the daughter, the mother, sister & regular person overall. My time is mostly spent with my family especially my daughter Layla-Rei. I'm very protective of her, I do everything with/for her, cook, take her to nursery, help her with homework, comb her hair, put her to bed, take her out, watch educational channels/dvd with her etc. Family & motherhood are very important to me so I always try to stay involved. Raine the mom & the artiste are similiar in terms of love I see my fans and co-workers as family so I love and treat them as such however the difference is Raine the mom is more laidback & simple as opposed to Raine the artiste who is more flashy & ready to entertain.

2.JMommies:How do you manage being an artiste-entertainer/celeb mom?Raine: I manage very well, I've learnt how to balance and differentiate both, accomplishing this comes through a lot of family support/involvement.

3.JMommies:Are there ever clashes with work and family time? How do you handle this?Raine: Many times lol! The thing with being an entertainer is things come up at any time & we just gotta get up and go. I love my career very much but family is always first,,, if whatever I'm doing with family is of great importance and cannot be put on hold or done by someone else then work will just have to wait. However I got a very supportive and understanding family so we always work together to get the best results.

4.JMommies:What are some of the techniques you use to ensure that you have enough time with the fam?Raine: Always understanding/remembering the importance of balance along with team work from both family & career side.

5. JMommies:Favourite Family place/Activity?Raine: Home lol! We have our recreational area, family room, entertainment room at home that we utilize a lot.

7. JMommies:Fave thing about being a mom?Raine: Experiencing such great & unconditional love & peace of mind. Seeing how smart & free spirited she is.

8.JMommies:What are your major challenges as a mom?Raine: Hmmm I don't see it as challenge, just responsibility(ies) that I pray on a daily that I'll always fulfill, being a flawed human being as everyone else & that's always being a responsible mother in every way & every situation, being a role model & a better person overall, someone my child will grow to love respect & look up to.

9. JMommies:Most rewarding experience as a parent to date?Raine: When she 1st said "mama" and "I love you mommy" there is nothing more rewarding than that.

10.JMommies:What advice do you have for other moms?Raine: Understand/accept that God has given you the ultimate blessing of motherhood. Respect it & ask for God's continued guidance on a beautifully chaotic journey. Love your child unconditionally, pay attention, be involved, communicate, our kids can also be one of our greatest teacher.

11. JMommies:What's one of the cutest or naughtiest thing that you've witnessed since being a mother?Raine: Layla being extremely rude & when I object to it she hits me in the face then hug me and say "sowwy mommy I wove you"

So there you have it, our one-on-one with Jamaican celeb mom-Raine Seville.